No. 15 Bruins Too Much for Gauchos

LOS ANGELES -
The No. 15 UCLA women's basketball team proved to have a much better full-court defense than UC Santa Barbara's last opponent.

The Gauchos, despite losing to Pepperdine on Friday, had little trouble with the Waves' full-court, pressure defense however on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion it was a different story.

The Bruins forced 23 turnovers by the Gauchos and shot 43.8 percent from the floor to hand UCSB its second defeat, 66-52.

An 18-0 run by UCLA early in the second half put the Gauchos in a 55-26 hole that they couldn't recover from.

"I told their head coach Nikki Caldwell they have Final Four potential," UCSB head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. "They're really good. They have a lot of weapons. I thought there were times where we competed against them. But there were other times we let them do what they're really good at."

Emilie Johnson led UCSB in scoring for the second straight game with 14 points as she was the lone Gauchos to reach double figures. Underwood had nine points and eight rebounds for UCSB, which shot 37.7 percent from the floor.

Kelsey Adrian added eight points while Nesbit had five to go with three assists and Okolie had four points and four boards, all on the offensive end.

The Gauchos play their next three games at home, beginning with a matinee 1 p.m. start on Thursday vs. Portland State.

Fans can listen to the game on AM 990 KTMS in Santa Barbara or streaming live online by clicking here.

Tickets for UCSB home games are available by calling (805) 893-UCSB or by clicking here.

The Intercollegiate Athletics Ticket Office has two parking spaces adjacent to the building and is now open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., making it easier than ever for fans to purchase tickets. The two parking spots, designated specifically for the Ticket Office, are also available during weekday hours, which are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Gaucho Fund, launched as part of the Dare to Be Great strategic plan, is UCSB Athletics' annual giving program to provide vital funding support for scholarships, academic success and leadership development for Gaucho student-athletes. The Gaucho Fund is the anchor to the Dare to Be Great campaign.